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Sleeping disorders are so common and yet there is not enough awareness about them in India. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), for instance, is a disorder caused by the repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep which leads to difficulty in breathing while sleeping. While it's one of the most common sleeping disorders, not many people know about it.

To tap this massive gap in the market, medical equipment company ResMed India has launched a campaign featuring singer and rapper Baba Sehgal.

Created by advertising agency Bang in the Middle, ResMed’s #AwakenYourBest campaign is aimed at creating awareness on sleeping disorders like sleep apnea and emphasis on sleeping well.

In the video, Sehgal, in his quintessential rap style, is seen crooning a rap or sleep anthem that talks about taking a simple at-home test to diagnose sleep related disorders. The purpose of the campaign is to create awareness about the importance of good sleep in a full-filled manner.

“There’s a great gap when it comes to talking about sleep disorders and we wish to start the conversation and create awareness,” says Seema Arora, business head - consumer and digital, South Asia, ResMed.

<strong>Acute sleep deficit</strong>

ResMed conducted a study, speaking to over 5000 people digitally to understand the impact on sleep post-pandemic. The findings show that Indians take a long amount of time (close to 90 minutes) to fall asleep which is far higher than Japan (25 minutes), China (42 minutes) and Korea (30 minutes). The longer duration is equated with extended screen time on devices.

“Data also confirmed a severe pandemic impact on sleeping habits in India. The survey also stated that 62 percent Indians agreed that stress has impacted their sleep during the pandemic as well as post pandemic. Erratic work schedules, excessive digital exposure and unhealthy lifestyle is contributing to poor sleep quality,” shares Arora.

Although ResMed is targeting consumers aged 30-69 years residing in the top 20-25 cities, it is also looking to connect with young Indians (under 25 years) who could be potential influencers in their household.

“We do wish to speak to audiences above the age of 25 years to have the information and encourage their loved ones to take the test and check about the quality of their sleep,” says Arora.

Social media and digital platforms are the likely places where ResMed is hoping to engage with potential customers.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DLyzgN_IKEQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<strong>Market potential</strong>

India is a huge market for ResMed. Arora quotes a Lancet Respiratory Medicine 2019 study, which states that an estimated 5.4 percent of all Indians ages 30-69 years (28.8 million) have moderate to severe sleep apnea. The level of sleep awareness continues to remain low in a country like India, with only a handful of sleep labs for a population of over 1.3 billion.

The study states that people are often unaware about sleep issues and even if diagnosed with sleep disorders, they tend to hide them. Hence, there is a need to create awareness about the importance of sleep and sleep related disorders.

“The potential in the India market is huge. 28.8 million people could be dealing with sleep apnea. Diet and workout can have a positive impact but it is not the gold treatment for a sleeping disorder. It requires a proper sleep check-up followed by a CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) machine to treat sleep apnea. As we start creating awareness we foresee a demand for these products,” says Arora.  

Currently, there are barely 30,000 to 35,000 odd CPAP devices which are being sold in a year. Compared to the population the penetration of these devices is still less. ResMed is looking to change that.

<strong>Agency speak</strong> 

Naresh Gupta, co-founder and CSO, Bang In The Middle says that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a life-threatening condition and it's easy for the brands to be in the zone that is a bit scary.

“All our consumer chats pointed towards the fact that instilling fear doesn't work as well as creating a happier curative story. Baba Sehgal has a unique style of telling the story, we merged it with an interesting way of taking the consumer on a journey with us," says Gupta.  

"The way the music flows and the way the scenes change in the commercial brought the audience into the brand fold,'' he says, adding, "The simple call to action of asking for a Home Sleep Test was made possible with the magic that was weaved through earworm quality of the music." 

ResMed has kicked off its campaign with a song and dance and the hope that its rap track can help Indians sleep well.


ResMed hopes its rap track can help Indians sleep well

We have a problem.

This is often the statement that should make brands reach out to communication agencies, and they should be ready to pay for the solution they expect to buy. That is exactly what has stopped happening. Rarely do agencies get calls from brands that have a problem, maybe the world today is devoid of issues that brands face and need solutions for.

The communication business today is a meme: Transient. Flippant. Momentary. Joke.

Often the brands think that posting a few memes is enough and then the next meme comes, they will post it again. In between the memes and jokes, the consumers will be so engaged that they will run to websites and stores and vendors and influencers to swipe their card, open their wallet and they too will post a meme.


Why do I say that? I can give you two examples of ‘pitch invites’ we had from two very large, very reputed, very progressive brands.

When I say pitch invite, it is The Pitch Invite. It is supposed to be so big that it will change the business trajectory of the agency. The clients have become very good at making their invite sound like the most important event that will ever take place, almost like the sighting of Halley’s Comet.

The first is from a very large real estate developer who wanted a multiagency pitch to sell possibly North India’s most expensive residential apartments. The apartments are so expensive that even looking at the side of where they are located might make your wallet thinner. The brand was clear, we will charge you if we give you work. The joke was on the agencies, I do know some who did pitch.

The meme was on us!

The second is from an insurance agent aggregator who wanted us to mount a song and dance show. They wanted us to meet their existing and potential audience, do insight mining, arrive at sharp consumer insight, do A/B testing and then produce ‘content for WhatsApp’. The client took offence and banned us from their brand when we impolitely declined. The meme was on us.

These are not the only two we have, we have more. Some even more hilarious than this.

Why is it that the brands have started to have fun at the cost of the agencies? Aren’t the agencies still solving business problems? Creating acts that change the course of humankind? Even win the biggest accolades at the biggest platforms globally? Or all of this makes no difference to the marketing directors?

The answer lies somewhere else.

What is free is value free. Any pitch that the clients call is a free show and two dozen agencies line up to mount a variety entertainment show. The process goes on forever, the client gets bored and the pitch is never closed. The client does some internal work, falls in love with what they do and then calls agencies and throws another bone. The meme is on us. Is this a rule?

We had one of India’s largest packaged goods companies walk into our office, chat with us and were awarded a task. There was no competitive creative show, no commercial bidding, just a clean business conversation. The agencies are full of examples of this kind too. The work that has been produced after such conversation is sharp, effective and makes a difference to the brand.

The onus is really on us who are in the business of communication. The memes are already here, they will only get brutal. Can we solve the problem we are facing ourselves?




The communication business today is a meme. Transient. Flippant. Momentary. Joke

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